for those who want/have a zenitar FE lens..some tests i did

well i heard this lens, the zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye, is only good at f/11 or smaller aperture....my lens arrived today and i decided to put this rumour to the test..i've seen some shots at f/2.8 and they were super super super super super glowingly soft....definitely unusable..

shot at f/2.8

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shot at f/2.8

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shot at f/2.8

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the rest were shot at f/11-f/22

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so what happened? did i receive some sort of super lens that handles everything for about $140 US? not to mention it came with a nice carrying case, manuals, box, and 3 filters!...

aznkid.com wrote:well i heard this lens, the zenitar 16mm f/2.8 fisheye, is only good at f/11 or smaller aperture...

...so what happened? did i receive some sort of super lens that handles everything for about $140 US? not to mention it came with a nice carrying case, manuals, box, and 3 filters!...

These lenses are made in the old KMZ factory in Russia, where quality control is a little flaky. So, there is bound to be some sample variation with these guys. That's why I bought mine from Kiev Camera, where I had full return priveleges. Mine arrived with the EOS mount built in (rather than with an M42/EF adaptor as many of them do). The mount was loose, and the images soft until I tightened the screws. Again, that's par for the course with the ex-Soviet stuff.

But the images are lovely. Here's one I keep parked on my web site as a demonstration:

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